''Guadalcanal Campaign'' is a 1982

computer wargame A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use ...

developed by

Gary Grigsby Gary Grigsby is a designer and programmer of computer wargames. In 1997, he was described as "one of the founding fathers of strategy war games for the PC." ''Computer Games Magazine'' later dubbed him "as much of an institution in his niche of ...

and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was Grigsby's first released game and has been cited as the first

monster wargame A monster game is a game that is either very large, very complex, or both. One criterion sometimes adopted is the number of pieces; a game which puts greater than 1000 counters into play at once may be considered to be a monster game. This classif ...

made for computers. ''Guadalcanal Campaign'' was a commercial and critical success that helped to establish Grigsby in the game industry. Grigsby followed it with ''

Bomb Alley ''Bomb Alley'' is a 1983 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby for the Apple II and published by Strategic Simulations in 1983. It covers the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II. The game's main scenario is the summer of 1942 when Erwi ...

''. Continuing to work with SSI, he went on to become a prominent name in the computer wargame field, releasing 23 games with the company by 1996.

Gameplay

''Guadalcanal Campaign'' is a

that simulates the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Development

''Guadalcanal Campaign'' was the first game released by designer

. He recalled beginning development in December 1981. In early 1982, while phoning

Strategic Simulations Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) was a video game developer and publisher of over 100 games from its founding in 1979 to its dissolution in 1994 (though the brand was in use until around 2002). The company focused on computer wargames then lat ...

' hotline about its game ''

Torpedo Fire ''Torpedo Fire'' is a turn-based submarine warfare game written by John Lyon for the Apple II and published by Strategic Simulations in 1981. Gameplay ''Torpedo Fire'' is a game in which a submarine attack against a convoy is simulated. It is de ...

'', he got into a conversation with company head Joel Billings that led to an offer to publish ''Guadalcanal Campaign''. Grigsby said that he had "nearly completed a crude working version" by the time that he talked to Billings. Grigsby developed the game in his spare time at night while working a day job at the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

, an arrangement he called "incredibly hard". He later said that he had made "a lot of little fragments of games" before ''Guadalcanal Campaign'', but that it was the first full project he had undertaken. ''Guadalcanal Campaign'' was released in 1982, after roughly 8 months of work.

Reception

''Guadalcanal Campaign'' was a commercial success. According to Craig Ritchie of ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'', it sold roughly 3,500 copies, which he called "an outstanding figure for such a niche market". Richard Charles Karr reviewed the game for ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'', and stated that "It is this writer's opinion that ''Guadalcanal Campaign'' is the best historical simulation (and one of their best games) from SSI to date. The essential aspects of historicity and playability are well-matched, with easy accessibility of gaming information, a well-organized set of rules, and good research combining to provide for a game that will keep you at your computer for days at a time." Rich Sutton of ''Video Games'' called it "one of the best simulations available for beginner and expert alike".

Legacy

''Guadalcanal Campaign'' has been cited by ''Computer Gaming World'', ''

Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

'' and author Rusel DeMaria as the first

released for computers. According to ''Retro Gamer'', it "set the standard for a long line of award-winning wargames to come." It helped to establish both Grigsby and SSI in the game industry; Grigsby himself went on to be one of the computer wargame genre's most respected contributors. He continued his relationship with SSI; by 1996, he had worked with the company on 23 games. In 2001, he co-founded the studio 2 by 3 Games with SSI's Joel Billings and Keith Brors, where they continued to work together on wargames such as ''

War in the Pacific The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

'' and ''

Gary Grigsby's World at War ''Gary Grigsby's World at War'' is a 2005 computer wargame developed by 2 by 3 Games and published by Matrix Games. Gameplay ''Gary Grigsby's World at War'' is a grand strategy computer wargame that simulates conflict in World War II. Devel ...

''.

References

External links

*
Guadalcanal Campaign
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Review
in ''

Casus Belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one bou ...

'' #14 (April 1983)
Review
in Games magazine
Review
in

Tilt Tilt may refer to: Music * Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992 * Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993 * Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979 Albums * ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981 ...

(French) {{Gary Grigsby 1982 video games Apple II games Apple II-only games Computer wargames Guadalcanal Campaign Multiplayer and single-player video games Pacific War video games Strategic Simulations games Turn-based strategy video games Video games developed in the United States Video games set in the Solomon Islands